Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Encinitas City Council Guide 2009

If you are new to city hall it might help to know something about your council members. Here is a quick reference guide to your council.

Jim Bond is Grandpa Simpson. Grandpa Simpson might have been a mover and shaker when young and still eager. He still belts out some classic lines of wisdom from time to time, but he is worn out. Expect him to provide a guiding hand on the lucky occasion, but he is over it. His heart is the right place but there is no leadership left in him.

Jerome Stocks is Eddie Haskell. He has a tendency for being insincerely courteous. When the spotlight is turned off his true side comes out. He is the most willing council member to put his own fortunes ahead of the citizens, and he does that in the backroom as much as possible so he doesn't have to take responsibility.

Maggie Houlihan is Jar Jar Binks. Jar Jar has the biggest heart and wants to do right. Jar Jar is a trusted friend of the protectors of the free Galactic Republic. Jar Jar sometimes operates in a clumsy manner and Jar Jar isn't very good at figuring out who are the real friends of the free Republic. Jar Jar was willingly manipulated by the evil Sith into giving them exactly what they wanted.

Dan Dalager would be difficult to explain if it weren't for W. Bush. Dan is George W. Bush. A great guy to have a beer with and to have in your community to help out. Not so good at being the Decider.

Both have loyal followers who judge them based only on their folksy persona. Both Dan and W. talk about principles of good government but don't always follow those principles. Both have grown the size of government and government debt, while telling everyone they are conservatives. Both spit out sound bites that sound good and don't seem to realize they are actually doing the opposite of what they say. Both played up religious beliefs to get elected. Both played up patriotism to get elected. Both helped their cronies attain positions of power and income. Both enjoy doing government favors for their friends. Both make backroom deals. Both pretzled the truth during their election campaigns. Both react poorly to opposing viewpoints and resent their decisions being questioned. Both are enemies of open government.

Both have accumulated a group of former supporters who now realize that support for Dan and Bush was a big mistake.

It should be no surprise that Dan was a fan of W. Bush.

City insiders will know why the above picture is appropriate.

Teresa Barth is Lois Lane from Superman I. Not just on the job, but eager to dig in and get to the bottom of the story and then do something about it. From an outside perspective some of her interactions might seem awkward or uncomfortable, but that is because she is so focused on the big story and has that in mind.

Dan is well known for putting his hands in inappropriate places. One day a woman with a willingness to endure his insults and demeaning comments will file sexual harassment charges against him. Until that day he will continue with his offensive behavior.

To the poster on the last blog re: my use, or lack of correct use, of metaphors etc. Perhaps you might want to do some "light" reading of my doctoral dissertation, which is basically: Perceived Competencies, Actual Real Competencies and Adult Self-Esteem. Then, let's talk:) Happy to share it with you or anyone else. BTW, J.P. Forget my e-mail. I love this post. I finally figured how how to post on this new format, and it is not my poor little MacBook that's the problem-it was me all along. (As usual). Everyone that can be there: CITY COUNCIL MEETING TONIGHT-besides trees, they are attempting to add on to the general plan in a roundbout way without input. So, what;'s new?

Wasn't Dan on the Parks and Recreation Commission before he was on City Council?

And just what did he do there, that he wasn't reappointed?

Do you know the difference between slander and libel, Lenny? A public figure has to be able to prove the allegations are NOT true, if he wants to sue. I don't see any slander or libel against Dan Dalager or Jerome Stocks, because they are both quite "underhanded," in my opinion, and in the opinions of most people I've spoken to. For one thing, they are willing to call people "wingnuts," and to question their mental health, when they are not qualified to do so. Yet God forbid that they would actually post under their own name, like Bob, Mary, Dr. Lorri, Laurie Sutton of the Coast News, and Fred, among others do.

Don't get me wrong, I think they are all jerks out for their ego, power and money. But why doesn't the press investigate these allegations? Is it a big cover up?I personally know departments at the city that use and abuse the codes and laws for personal vendettas.

Between work, family and surfing I have just enough time to check the Internet for an hour or so a day. I would never want to get involved digging dirt on city pols or employees as they can make life a nightmare for you. It takes an outsider like a good reporter that they cannot wreck havoc on to delve into shenanigans at city hall.When they have enough time to follow some dork named JRW sitting in a crappy tree instead of the euc's that need saving I know there are no good journalists left.

I see only one viable solution to our problem at City Hall. It is simply called: Term Limits. I have heard the arguments why this is not a good idea. "What happens if we get lucky enough to have a great councilperson who actually thinks of the needs of the everyday citizen?" Well folks, can anyone tell me when this has happened? Perhaps Teresa. But, even Maggie, as much as I wish her well,and I like her, wasn't much help in the Great Encinitas Tree Debacle. So, perhaps if J.P. would be so kind as to post a poll on this blog on what everyone thinks of term limits, we could see what we all think about this? It could actually be 2 polls. One could be on term limits for Councilmemebrs, the other for term limits and Commissioners. Perhaps 8 years is enough for anyone to serve one one committee or as a councilmember? It would also have the distinct advantage over the City Manager,as his "bosses" are the 5 councilpeople. He is an "at will" employee. He is not union and can be fired if 3 coulcilpeople say so. Anyone have thoughts on this idea? If so, does anyone know how to go about getting the paperwork to do it if enough people wanted it? That is my best corrective suggestion at the moment. Perhaps others have a better one?

Jerome Stocks was in such a daze after the great oral communication comments from excellent speakers, ending with a child, that he couldn't remember any of the meetings he was sure he had attended, he said, when time for reports came, at the very end.

Maggie seemed kind of shell shocked. The agenda for the water district and housing authority were not adhered to. It was actually the strangest Council Meeting I've ever seen.

Dan Dalager was very vindictive and churlishly quipped that the Coastal Commission had voted undividedly to deny the appeal by Citiens for Quality of life. He didn't respond at all to what was sad about the tree debacle.

Anon 12:21-Of course I am not saying the Encinitas voters are stupid. However, most people know that the incumbnt has the advantage. Secondly, anyone who knows this City, knows how easily some Council members have been "led astray" by power, money from developers, PERS, the list goes on. So why are you so afraid of finding out if the residents might want term limits. It just requires a vote in 2010. What's so scary about that, unless you happen to be on the Coucnil or a Commissioer, which BTYW, I am? And I have a life outside of being a commissioner. 8 years is enough for me. I could always run as a non-incumbant for smething else. It is done in many cities in case you might want to know. Check around. You would be amazed at how many cites in this County alone have term limits. So I think the only really scary thing would be for the Council people, Phil Cottton, or COmmissioners whose lives somehow depend on the money or ppwer their position holds. I cannot come up with a bettr solution that this. It is evident, after this last P.R. nightmare with the trees, that most of the Coucnil doesn't have a clue as to what the citizens want. And secodly, if they do, they just don't care and the Staff is running the show. Now I will really take some heat for this at the next Parks and Rec. Commission meeting, as I am sure I will hear about it. Will let you all know who actually reads this blog.

I have not always agreed with you on some of your soft side issues as you have way more tolerance for the ignorance of the public and compassion for the retarded people with no respect for others or self control. HOWEVER, You seem to always speak your mind and the truth and obviously really love Encinitas.

I fully agree with your last comment and think term limits to 8 years would be great for our City. It would surely help the issue of the City being run by ignorant staff instead of its citizens.

Without 8 year term limits, I see Encinitas always being run in its current condition, ignoring and insulting its own public.

People volunteering for a Government leadership position should always have term limits to prevent the powergrabbing that occurs. If you’re an insurance saleman, you remain an insurance salesman and not the center of power for a City forever. The Public should always be the center of power for their governing board.

JP- Please put an vote on blog whether you support term limits. I think a citizens’ initiative could make this happen by next election. Cardiff town Council, Leucadia Town Council, and Olivenhain town council should make this happen for the good of our community.

PS Dr. Lorri- You won me over big time. I will vote and donate money to your campaign if you run with Teresa against Danny Dalager in the next election.

Very strange at last night's council meeting. We are in the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression, and our Financial Director, Jennifer Smith, is delegating responsibility to Darlene Hill. Perhaps we can terminate Smith, save the city some money, and make Hill the director. Is Smith really doing anything?

Our city claims good reserve funds, but these funds were built with borrowed money, over $43 million dollars of Lease Revenue Bonds. The city borrowed $20 million for the library and $23 million for the Hall property. It will take over $80 million to repay this debt.

Through a technicality, the city doesn't count this as debt because the Lease Revenue Bonds are supposed to have a revenue stream and the city itself is not directly responsible for the repayment. The water and sewer districts are. Prepare for big increases in water and sewer rates.

Last night, Maggie Houlihan, Jerome Stocks, and Dan Dalager voted to eliminate the public noticing and public hearing requirements of the Municipal Code when they approved proposed Ordinance 2009-01.

The current Municipal Code requires a public notice and sometimes a public hearing on requests for any time extension of a land use permit such as a Coastal Development Permit (CDP), variances, tentative maps.

City law requires public notice and sometimes a public hearing on any application to extend time before these land use permits expire.

Last night Maggie Houlihan, Jerome Stocks, and Dan Dalager approved extending for another year the time before expiration on all the outstanding planning department permits, the CDP, tentative maps, etc., and ignored the procedures in the Municipal Code. Shame on the three of them.

Yes, everything seemed so "glossed over," last night. There were no "regular agenda items," for the regular Council Meeting, ONLY consent calendar items.

And why was the Mayor's State of the City Address listed as a special presentation on the "special joint meeting of the Encinitas City Council, the San Dieguito Water District, and the Housing Authority? Seems as though that should have been part of the regular council meeting agenda?

I support term limits as well. Yes, JP, please allow us to vote on whether we think this would be a good idea on your blog.

Great, funny post, by the way, and so "true to form," re the personality comparisons.

"It might cost us a bit more as more people will qualify for pensions. Also, it really doesn't help control the staff, in fact, it might make it worse."

I believe the opposite is true.

More people may qualify but the pay out would be the same or less because PERS retirement pay is based on the number of years you work times 3% of the highest paid year.

For council members those that get re-elected once qualify, but the payout is the same or less. The big saving would be a term limits would promote Council to be better stewarts of our financial future. We would not get people like Jerome Stocks, Jim Bond, and Danny Dalager being completely bought and paid for by the Employee's union supporting their campaigns and continually vote for PERS (pension) increases and Raises. Look what they did last year, they gave staff a 15% raise over the next 4 years and a 30% increase in pension benefits all from one vote! Outrageous!!!!!

Plus a fresh council would be more likely to fire deadwood and City Employees that are bad for Encinitas.

If you love Encinitas, support the initiative for term limits when you see the petitions surface throughout town in the next few years.

Does anyone out there know how to get the initiative process going? I would be happy to be part of this, but I do not have a clue as to "process". Surely we must have some legal folks, or others, out there that know what you have to do to get it going. I am assuming it needs to be signed by so many citizens to get it on the 2010 ballot. If want to do this, then we should probably get a move on it. And where is it written, or is it a law, that Council members have to get any PERS benefits at all when they leave the Council? I know we do it, but is it a law, or is it just something that we have done? If it is the latter, we could also rethink it, if enough people wanted it not to be a part of the Council's package. They do get paid for their service. Not only does the City give them a fee, but everytime they attend a San Dieguito Water District meeting, and I belive some other meetings, they get paid extra. Plus car allowances,. etc. SOme of them work very hard. Others, who knows. One thing is for certain, they would not be so cozy with certain developers and Phil Cotton could be removed a bit easier if it came to it. If there is enough interest, it wouldn't hurt to do a little legwork and see what it involves.We would also have to decide if it is just Council or Council and Commissioners that we wanted term limits for.

Dalager may be a complete jerk; I don't know because I don't know him. I know he's not George Bush, though, because Dan isn't a war criminal. He hasn't committed multiple felonies (as far as I know) and hasn't authorized illegal and immoral torture. That isn't to say he wouldn't do any of those things, however, if given the opportunity to do so!

"Plus a fresh council would be more likely to fire deadwood and City Employees that are bad for Encinitas."

Out of the tens of thousands of public employees at the state, county and city level there are probably been less than five or six that have been fired in the last year in California. Governmental employees NEVER, NEVER, NEVER get fired or laid off. No matter what. When the state fiscal crisis is over the employees will get back pay for the furlough day they took.I would be willing to bet that no employee at the city of Encinitas has ever been fired or let go. If you noticed in the funding requests last night, staff asked for and received $67,000 for a temp to fill the slot of an employee that is on extended sick leave. Whats that tell you. Staff runs the city and the council members do their bidding regardless of who's in office. The present council is very beholding to staff and that is why they give raises and retirement perks whenever asked. If you want to stay in office longer that one term you do what you are told.

Obama is gun-ho on the rendition program and authorized a drone strike in Pakistan that killed 16 civilians last week, so I guess that makes him a war criminal, too. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Gosh Anony 7:42, you're a frickin' genius. If x is illegal and z does x, x is a criminal! Did you come up with that logic by yourself? Congrats! Now there is admission of criminality by Bush/Cheney and reams of evidence of them committing multiple felonies. If you know of such evidence for Obamy, more power to you! Gosh, you're bright. BTW, if Obama is not a war criminal, does it mean Bush isn't? Idiot says what?

The term-limits law that won't let Schwarzenegger run again doesn't apply to Brown because his first run for governor — in 1974 — predates the law. Does that mean that those elected last year will have 10 (2+4+4) more years in office?

Since this was not a City until 1986, if memory serves me, the same law that applies to Brown, may not apply to this Council.Not sure when Jim Bond got first elected. Does anyone know? I will check it out and get back to all of you.

Not to be caustic anonymous: But when it the last time a politician did any thing they said they were going to do? Democrat or Republican. We, the people, have gottot do something, instead of complain. That is why I suggest we start at home. We actually may have a chance here.

I believe the initiative can be written to limit terms of any serving member. For example, if we limit terms to 8 eight years, it would prevent Stocks and Bond from running again, although they would finish out their terms at 12 and 20 years respectively. It would prevent Dan Dalager from running again in 2010.

Has anyone noticed that when anyone attempts to do something proactive in this City, that might hurt the Council, some anonymous bloggers attempt to steer the direction anyplace to change the topic? Good job Dr. Lorri, for not falling into that trap. I am with you all on term limits for these idiots.

Thanks, JP. This post made me laugh and made me a little sad. It was so accurate. But I still have hope for the future. I hope that it will help everyone who will vote in 2010 to continue to be actively engaged in the political process. I hope that voters will realize that council members who make disparaging remarks about children and citizens; and who are involved in backroom, good ole boy decisions; and who at a televised city council meeting by their actions made it obvious that they had not even read the Brown Act are not elected.

Thanks, JP. This post made me laugh and made me a little sad. It was so accurate. But I still have hope for the future. I hope that it will help everyone who will vote in 2010 to continue to be actively engaged in the political process. I hope that voters will realize that council members who make disparaging remarks about children and citizens; and who are involved in backroom, good ole boy decisions; and who at a televised city council meeting by their actions made it obvious that they had not even read the Brown Act are not elected.

Walker-0, or anyone else--do you know how to get the petition process started? If anyone knows, and can post a website where the information can be downloaded, I will see what I can do. BTW, my letter was printed in todays Coast News for those interested. It is entitled "Sinatra and the city of Encinitas. It is in the contunued section of Letters to the Editor, so don't just read the first page, as there are more letters on A20. Also, there is an article about the tree issue and the Brown Act on the Front Page of the Coast News. Sometimes "civil disobediance" does draws a lot of attention, as we saw in the late 60's and early 70's. I once had the privilege of walking in Atlanta with Martin lLuther King. He was a master of "civil disobediance. Obviously, so was Drew, or Jru. Notice, he called attention to the tree situation, and did not get arrested. To some this may seem cowardly; to others, it is a great victory for all. After all, it is hard to protest too much if you are in jail.

Dr. Lorri, since Bond had already served four terms, I believe he was initially elected in November of 1992?

Perhaps the California Secretary of State would be the one to contact regarding collecting petition signatures?

Term limits would help Encinitas. Also, I feel we could have an elected mayor, who would participate in the primaries, as well. There could be two seats to be elected for Council every two years. A mayor could be elected for a two year term, or four year term. The idea of running every two years may seem challenging, but then the Mayor could actually represent a majority of the voters, at that given point in time!

If we had an elected mayor, he or she could serve up to eight years as mayor. That would be in addition to up to eight years on Council. So, if one got enough votes, he or she could serve for a total of 16 years, but only eight years on Council and only eight years as Mayor. A candidate would not run for mayor and council simultaneously.

The fact that there are three candidates running every four years, such as this past November, splits the vote so that no one receives a majority of all votes cast. This "plurality" is not truly representational of what most people want in our community. The incumbents have totally taken advantage of their opportunities for free publicity and PR moments through "special presentations" with no time limits before oral communications or agenda items at Council Meetings, and by bogus "news" articles, which are really "puff pieces," in periodicals such as Encinitas First, through the Chamber of Commerce, which is subsidized by the City and often "kowtows" to Council.

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About Leucadia

Leucadia is a funky little beach community located in North San Diego county in southern California. Leucadia is the north section of the city of Encinitas.

English spiritualists settled the small coastal community of Leucadia in 1870, and are reputed to have danced, in diaphanous white robes in the little Roadside Park (Leucadia Blvd and Hwy 101).

The spiritualists are the reason so many of the streets are named after Greek gods and goddesses. Leucadia is Greek for "a sheltered place." Heritage Eucalyptus trees, planted in the 1880s, still grace the highway. When President Roosevelt passed through Leucadia in an open car during the Depression, local children climbed the Eucalyptus trees to wave to him.

Change happens slowly in this nostalgic little California beach town. In lieu of fast food restaurants and franchise chain stores, Leucadia has two miles of Mom 'n Pop businesses, and that's the way everyone likes it. The town war cry is "Keep Leucadia Funky."

Leucadia played an active role in the rebirth of the classic Highway 101 shield, restored in 1997, and was part of the successful 101 Campaign to have Highway 101 declared an historic route.

Leucadia is experiencing growing pains and culture clash in these first decades of the 21st century...

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